Nebraska baseball remains perfect in mid-week contests with sweep of Pepperdine
Nebraska baseball (9-11, 1-5) finished off a mid-week sweep of Pepperdine (4-16, 0-0) on Wednesday, 11-4. The Huskers found some much-needed consistency at the plate, scoring at least one run in seven different frames.
Right-hander TJ Coats (8.31 ERA) got his second start of the year after just two innings of work last Wednesday. He lasted 3.2 frames before Nebraska turned to the bullpen. Five Husker relievers allowed two total runs while stranding seven. Right-hander Gavin Blachowicz (2.70 ERA) earned the victory after 2.1 strong innings.
Six different Husker hitters tallied a hit, including Dylan Carey, who blasted two home runs in the contest. Nebraska avoided a single strikeout in the win.
Here is a recap of the victory:
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Stone and Silva provide spark at the plate
Tyler Stone and Riley Silva only combined for three hits and one RBI on Wednesday, but they provided a pivotal spark for the Husker offense.
In the top of the second, Stone smacked a leadoff double to right. A beautiful sacrifice bunt from Carey and an RBI groundout by Cael Frost brought Stone home to give Nebraska an early 1-0 advantage.
The Huskers added to their lead in the third inning despite tallying no hits. Silva reached on a fielding error at first base before he — thanks to some heads-up base-running — forced an errant throw and advanced to third. He scored two batters later on a RBI groundout.
Stone and Silva delivered Nebraska an early 2-0 lead, but they weren’t done. In the bottom of the third, Stone pulled off a hidden ball trick by faking a throw back to the mound and tagging the runner at first base. He followed the highlight-worthy defensive play with a solo blast in his next plate appearance.
After Pepperdine pulled within two runs, Silva led off the top of the fifth with a four-pitch walk. He came home shortly after on an RBI single from Devin Nunez. Stone and Silva crossed the plate five combined times on Wednesday.
Offense stays hot in middle innings
Nebraska had an uncharacteristically consistent day at the plate. The Huskers didn’t rely on a crooked inning to build their lead, instead recording at least one run in five straight frames.
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After Pepperdine tallied two runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Huskers responded with a two-run inning of their own in the fifth. Nunez and Cayden Brumbaugh tallied their lone RBIs in the frame.
The bottom of Nebraska’s order — Silva, Robby Bolin and Hogan Helligso — made the difference on Wednesday, particularly late. With two outs and one runner on in the sixth, Helligso hit an RBI single to right on a 2-2 pitch. It marked his first RBI since February 28th after nearly a three-week span with just one knock.
After Silva and Bolin hit back-to-back singles to begin the eighth, Helligso grounded into an unfortunate double play but brought another run home nonetheless, extending Nebraska’s lead to 8-3.
Carey smacked his second home run in the top of the ninth, this time a 2-run shot. Bolin and Silva reached once again, giving Helligso another RBI opportunity. He capitalized with a single through the right side to give Nebraska an 11-4 lead.
Blachowicz shines in relief
Coats pitched three solid frames but began to fade in the fourth. After giving up a leadoff single, the right-hander threw two wild pitches, walked one batter and hit another to load the bases. Gavin Blachowicz (2.70 ERA) relieved Coats in a precarious spot.
The freshman allowed a 2-RBI double to the first batter he faced but settled in shortly after. With two more runners in scoring position, Blachowicz struck out Joey Damelio swinging to escape the inning.
Blachowicz needed just seven pitches to retire the side in the fifth. Two groundouts and a flyout quickly ended the frame. He gave up a single in the sixth, but a clutch strikeout helped him tally another scoreless inning. Blachowicz pitched 2.1 frames, allowing two hits and striking out two while earning the win.
